• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• 제84권1호
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• pp.240-252
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• 2023

Purpose To assess the effect of deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) for head CT in pediatric patients. Materials and Methods We collected 126 pediatric head CT images, which were reconstructed using filtered back projection, iterative reconstruction using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR)-V, and all three levels of DLIR (TrueFidelity; GE Healthcare). Each image set group was divided into four subgroups according to the patients' ages. Clinical and dose-related data were reviewed. Quantitative parameters, including the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and qualitative parameters, including noise, gray matter-white matter (GM-WM) differentiation, sharpness, artifact, acceptability, and unfamiliar texture change were evaluated and compared. Results The SNR and CNR of each level in each age group increased among strength levels of DLIR. High-level DLIR showed a significantly improved SNR and CNR (p < 0.05). Sequential reduction of noise, improvement of GM-WM differentiation, and improvement of sharpness was noted among strength levels of DLIR. Those of high-level DLIR showed a similar value as that with ASiR-V. Artifact and acceptability did not show a significant difference among the adapted levels of DLIR. Conclusion Adaptation of high-level DLIR for the pediatric head CT can significantly reduce image noise. Modification is needed while processing artifacts.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.632-650
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• 2013

The paper considers a spectrum sharing cognitive radio (CR) network coexisting with a primary network under the average interference power constraint. In particular, the secondary user (SU) is assumed to carry delay-sensitive services and thus shall satisfy a given delay quality-of-service (QoS) constraint. The secondary receiver is also assumed to be equipped with multiple antennas to perform maximal ratio combining (MRC) to enhance SU performance. We investigate the effective capacity of the SU with MRC diversity under aforementioned constraints in Nakagami fading environments. Particularly, we derive the optimal power allocation to achieve the maximum effective capacity of the SU, and further derive the effective capacity in closed-form. In addition, we further obtain the closed-form expressions for the effective capacities under three widely used power and rate adaptive transmission schemes, namely, optimal simultaneous power and rate adaptation (opra), truncated channel inversion with fixed rate (tifr) and channel inversion with fixed rate without truncation (cifr). Numerical results supported by simulations are presented to consolidate our studies. The impacts on the effective capacity of various system parameters such as the number of antennas, the average interference power constraint and the delay QoS constraint are investigated in detail. It is shown that MRC diversity can significantly improve the effective capacity of the SU especially for cifr transmission scheme.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.129-138
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• 2017

Purpose: This research aims to analyze the service process of corporate courier services in order to offer service providers possible directions for adaptation of new technologies and assurance of better quality services. Methods: Through the analysis on the parcel service process of company Y by applying service blueprinting method, the overall process and failure service points of corporate courier services can be recognized and investigated. Next, the several newer technologies, augmented reality glasses, exoskeleton, and drone are applied to the service process of company Y as they are suggested by the literature review and referenced to DHL's report on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Then, service options to overcome the service failure points to improve the service process can be produced. Results: The parcel service process of the company Y is utilized as a hub-and-spoke structure by having distribution and delivery centers which separates customers into two types, ones using the total services and the others only using the delivery service. In addition, the main cause of the service failures is determined that it is due to the limited working hours of delivery centers compared to the workload. Conclusion: This research contributes in better understanding of corporate courier services and providing information for benchmarking. An empirical research on the costs and the efficiencies of applying the new technologies is suggested for the further improvement in the processes of corporate courier services.

• Journal of KIISE:Computing Practices and Letters
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• 제14권7호
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• pp.646-656
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• 2008

In this paper, the prototype of haptic-based NVE (networked virtual environment) QoE (quality of experience) is proposed. The proposed framework plays a role of providing users with realistic feeling by managing the system and network resources efficiently under time-varying networks and heterogeneous systems. Therefore, first IoPH (importance of presence for haptic interaction) is defined to quantitate the sense of real that the users feel now. Then we define the haptic-based NVE components required to satisfy the haptic interaction QoE requirements. Finally, QoE adaptation scheme is suggested, which adapts the haptic-based NVE components to current network and system constraints for better haptic interaction quality.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.287-296
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• 2008

The IEEE 802.11 wireless standard uses the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) as its MAC protocol (during the distributed coordination function period). This protocol is an adaptation of the CSMA/CD of the wired networks. CSMA/CA mechanism cannot guarantee quality of service (QoS) required by the application because orits random access method. In this study, we propose a new MAC protocol that considers different types of traffic (e.g., voice and data) and for each traffic type different priority levels are assigned. To improve the QoS of IEEE 802.11 MAC protocols over a multi-channel CSMA/CA, we have developed a new admission policy for both voice and data traffics. This protocol can be performed in direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) or frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS). For voice traffic we reserve a channel, while for data traffic the access is random using a CSMA/CA mechanism, and in this case a selective reject and push-out mechanism is added to meet the quality of service required by data traffic. To study the performance of the proposed protocol and to show the benefits of our design, a mathematical model is built based on Markov chains. The system could be represented by a Markov chain which is difficult to solve as the state-space is too large. This is due to the resource management and user mobility. Thus, we propose to build an aggregated Markov chain with a smaller state-space that allows performance measures to be computed easily. We have used stochastic comparisons of Markov chains to prove that the proposed access protocol (with selective reject and push-out mechanisms) gives less loss rates of high priority connections (data and voices) than the traditional one (without admission policy and selective reject and push-out mechanisms). We give numerical results to confirm mathematical proofs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.1383-1388
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• 2012

Objectives: Regardless of its negative impact on quality of life, little is known about the importance of alopecia from the patients' perspective. This study aimed to explore the whole experience of chemotherapy-induced alopecia among Korean breast cancer patients including perception, attitudes, preparedness, and changes after alopecia. Methods: Patients expected to experience or had experienced alopecia were recruited at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were performed in 21 patients. Recurrent issues were identified and placed into thematic categories. Results: All patients think that appearance is important and they pay attention to how they look like. They had negative perceptions about alopecia. Patients were not well prepared for alopecia, and experienced substantial physical, psychological and social distress. Lack of information and limited social support combined with negative images of cancer made it difficult for patients to overcome the trauma and deterred them from usual daily activities resulting in poor quality of life. Conclusions: Patients were not well prepared for alopecia and negative perceptions, lack of preparedness, and limited social support and resources increased alopecia-related distress. Educational programs for preparing patients to cope with alopecia distress and advocate activities to change people's negative perception about alopecia are needed to reduce the burden imposed by alopecia in cancer patients.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제25권11호
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• pp.1611-1616
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• 2012

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of sodium nitrate consumption on egg quality and quantity, and some blood parameters of native breeder hens of West Azerbaijan province. One hundred native hens were used from wk 25 to 32 of age. These birds were divided into two groups. One group was fed the control diet (CD) but the other fed the same diet supplemented with 4.2 g/kg sodium nitrate (ND). After 2 wks of adaptation, eggs were collected daily and egg mass and egg production were measured weekly for five weeks. To assess the egg quality parameters, two eggs from each replicate pen were collected for three consecutive days each week. At the end of experimental period (wk 32 of age), blood samples of 5 birds per replicate were collected from the wing vein into anticoagulant tubes. Dietary sodium nitrate didn't affect the egg production, shell stiffness, shell thickness and Haugh unit (p>0.05) but it decreased the both egg production and egg mass during the last three weeks (wks 30, 31 and 32) (p<0.05). Furthermore, a treatment effect was observed for yolk colour (p<0.05). Both the egg production and egg mass were increased over time (p<0.05). No significant treatment${\times}$time interaction was observed for egg weight, egg production and egg mass (p>0.05). No effect of time or treatment${\times}$time were observed for shell stiffness (p>0.05). Over time, shell thickness was decreased while Haugh unit increased (p<0.05). None of the blood TP and TG or the activity of ALT, AST and LDH enzymes were affected by dietary consumption of sodium nitrate at wk 32 of age (p>0.05). Sodium nitrite decreased both the TAC and TC at wk 32 of age (p<0.001). It was concluded that the lower body antioxidant capacity of nitrate fed birds resulted in the lower performance (egg weight, egg production and egg mass).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제21권6호
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• pp.831-837
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ruminally-protected methionine supplementation (0, 7, or 14 g/head/d) on nutrient intake, digestibility, growth performance, carcass, and meat characteristics of Awassi ram lambs fed finishing diets. Twenty four Awassi ram lambs ($16.8{\pm}1.17kg$ body weight) were randomly assigned to 3 treatment diets (8 lambs/treatment) and housed in individual pens. Lambs were given an adaptation period of 7 days before the intensive feeding period that lasted for 86 days. On day 74 of the trial, a digestibility experiment was performed. At the end of the trial (d 86), all lambs were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics and meat quality. Increasing the level of methionine supplementation did not improve (p>0.05) performance nor feed conversion ratio. Nutrient intake and digestibilities were not influenced (p>0.05) by methionine supplementation. There were no differences in final weight, hot and cold carcass weights, dressing percentages or any of the measured non-carcass components. Tissues and fat depth measurements together with all meat quality attributes measured on longissimus muscle of the loin cut were not affected by methionine supplementation. The only meat quality parameters affected were redness (a*) and the hue angle being higher for the control group (p<0.05). These results suggest that methionine supplementation is not likely to produce any production benefits in nutrient digestibilities, performance or carcass characteristics of ram lambs fed a high performance diet.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• 제17권7호
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• pp.1618-1626
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• 2013

Virtualization service processes all operation including the data creation, storing, and disposal in a server and transmits processed data as the streaming media form. Therefore, client can use the same environment as the traditional desktop environment without considering the type of device. Virtualization service should consider not only the video quality but also the delay bounds and continuity of video playback for improving the user perceived Quality of Service(QoS) of streaming service. In this paper, we propose a network-adaptive transmission architecture that focuses on guaranteeing QoS requirements for virtualization service. In order to provide those, the proposed architecture have the transmission rate adaptation function based on available bandwidth and the content bit-rate control function based on sender buffer state. Through each function, proposed architecture guarantee the delay bounds and continuity of virtualization contents playback. The simulation results show that proposed network-adaptive transmission architecture provides a improve performance of throughput and transmission delay.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• 제28권6B호
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• pp.553-562
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• 2003

Supporting QoS (Quality of Service) for the multimedia applications becomes an important issue as the demand of multimedia applications increases. Thus, it is necessary for the application layer to have an efficient congestion control algorithm, which can support the multimedia applications' QoS requirements. In this paper, we propose a new application layer congestion control algorithm, called RRC-OTT (Receiver-based Rate Control with One-way Trip Time). RRC-OTT algorithm differs from the previously proposed algorithms in that the receiver takes the responsibility of the network congestion control. Thus, RRC-OTT algorithm can not only precisely estimate the network congestion using OTT (one-way Trip Time), but reduce the work load from the sender (e.g., the web server). Our simulation study shows that RRC-OTT algorithm can maintain the comparable link utilization to the previously proposed algorithms and keep the packet jitter low, which thus can help enhance the quality of multimedia applications.